Automobile body and seats.



` D. J. MORGAN.

ADTDMQDILD BODY AND SEATS. APPLIDATIDN FILED JDM: 26,y 1911.

Patented 0011.1, 1912.

2 SHEBTS-SHEET 1.

NDV 1 m n I F. J. MORGAN, AUTOMOBILE BODY AND SEATS. APPLIQATION FILED JUNI: ze, 1911.

1,039,780. Patented 0@t.14,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

@BANKLYN J. MORGAN, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

' Y n AUTOMOBILE BODY AND SEATS,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 1, 1912.

l Application led .Tune 26, 1911. SerialNo. 635,513.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that'I, FRANKLYN .IL-Mon- GAN, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile Bodies and Seats, of which the fol- Y lowing is a specification.

The main objects of this invention are to provide an improved arrangement and form of body and seats for motor driven vehicles capable of permittin three persons of normal proportions to sit comfortably side by side therein; to provide a device of ythis kind which is particularly adapted for automobile chasses of standard Awidths and so arranged that the operators seat is in substantially the same transverse row with the 'two other seats, and that the normal movements of the operator in manipulating the steering mechanism and the other controlling mechanism are not interfered with by the occupants of such other seats.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawin in which-'- igure 1 is a perspective view of a part of an automobile showing the seats `constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same showing three occupants seated therein. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same, the body being partly broken away to more clearly illustrate the arrangement of the seats or seat sections. Fig. 4 is a lan view of the same.

In small automobi es in common use before this invention, ofthe type in which all of the seats .are in the same transverse row, it is practically impossible topermit three adult persons of average proportions to comfortably sit side by side without interferin with the movements of the operator in guiding and controllin the car. In the construction shown in t e drawings, thev ody I is provided with three seats or seat sections 2, 3, and 4, with the middle seat or section 4 olf-set rearwardly from the front line of the end seats 2 and 3, and with the back 5 of lthe middle seat correspondingly off-set rearwardly from the backs 6 and 7.' This off-set of the middle seat and back is' merely suflicient to allow the shoulders and arms of the occupant 8 of the middle seat to be overlapped slightly by the adjoinin shoulders and arms of the occupants 9 an 10 of the adjoining seats. With this arrangement, only a slight overlapping of .part of the shoulder and arm is required for comfort, for the reason that the widest part of the shoulder and arm of each occupant is slightly out of alinement with the l widest partof the shoulder and arm of the adjoining occupant, so that the occupants ma even be close enough for their shoulders "an arms to touch and still permit comfortable seating and freedom of movement of the arms, particularly those of the operator 'and the occupant of the other outside or' end seat. This arrangement provides for comfortably seating the three occupants sideF by side, all facing directly forward, in a. comparatively small automobile body of practically the standard Width, which ordinarily provides seati g room for only two persons side by side, facing in the'same direction. Even where, as in some present constructions, provisions for only two people is made in the front seat of the vehicle in the nature of two separately formed seats, the operatoroccupying one of such seats is unable to maintain his normal sitting position without having his movements more orless interfered with by the other occupant.

The 'seat and back frame 11 is upholstered in similar manner to other automobile seats, except that the upholstering is preferably made to form ridges l2 and 13 at ing lines between the backs, which ridges are extended at 14: and 15 along the dividing lines between the seats. Although the offset of the back 5 rearwardly of the adjoining backs 6 and 7 is but slight, as appears from Fig. 1, which is a reproduction of a photograph of an automobile body and seats constructed according to this invention, this offset is found in practice to be ample to give the desired comfort and freedom of move'-v ment, owing to the fact that the adjoining occupants, when leaning back naturally, have the widest parts of their shoulders and arms brought out of alinement with each other, It is found in practice that the desired result may be accomplished with an oli"- set little more than the thickness of an a'rm of oneof the occupants.

Although but one specific embodiment of the dividthis invention is herein shown and described, i

it will be understood that some of the details of the construction shown may be altered or i omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention, as defined by the oliowing claims.

I.claim:-

1. An automobile body provided with three integral seats arranged in a single row adjacent the steering mechanism, all facing in substantially the same direction and each comprising a complete seat and back, the middle seat being abruptly off-set rearwardly of the line of the front edges of the adjoining end seats and having its back disposed correspondingly rearward of the backs of the end seats, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. An automobile body provided with a steering mechanism located at one side thereo f, and three integral seats arranged ina same direction and each comprising a complete seat and back, with one of the end seats located immediately rearward of said steering-mechanism and' with the middle seat 4 abruptlyl oif-set rearwardly of the line of the front edges of the adjoining end seats single row, all facing in substantially the Y and having its back disposed correspondingly rearward of the backs of the end seats, substantially as and for the purposes speciied.

3. An automobile body provided with a steering mechanism located at one side thereof, and three seats rigidly secured to said body in a single row, all facing in substantially the same direction and each comprising a complete seat and back, with one of the end seats located immediately rearward of said steering mechanism and with the middle seat abruptly oiset rearwardly of the line of the front edges of the adjoining end seats and having its back disposed correspondingly rearward of the backs of the end seats, substantially as and for the purposes speciied.

Signed at Chicago this 21st day of June FRANKLYN J. MORGAN.

Witnesses: EDWIN PHELrs, MARY A. MCILVAINE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents`each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,v Washington, ID. C. 

